"I'm getting rid of this yard waste that's been piled up in my front yard at this free site provided by the city," Manning said.

He's one of many people dumping an eyesore left over from Irma at the city's free site.

Drop-off location in Cape Coral: Pine Island Road and Andalusia Boulevard - access to the site will be from NE 7th Street to NE 10th Avenue. Contractors will not be allowed to use this site and will be required to use their normal debris disposal sites.

"It's been sitting for coming on two weeks now. It's not doing any good; it's not doing my yard any good sitting there. I've got time, and I got a truck so. This site is available why not take advantage of it," Manning said.

Dick Krueger was also being proactive, bringing branches to the pile, instead of waiting for it to be picked up.

"I absolutely love this. I don't mind doing it. Some of the neighbors say I'm too ambitious, but I just as soon get it out and help ‘em out a little bit if I could," Krueger said.

Removing debris safely is an important job for many around Cape Coral.

The fire department shared tips for safe collecting and is optimistic on a timeline as to when the piles will all be gone.

"Within the next 30 days, most of it should be collected. And within the next 60, the rest of it should be collected ... I know people are like we haven't really seen anything, but they're about to start seeing removal occurring," said Andrea Schuch, public information officer for the Cape Coral Fire Department.

In the meantime, folks like Krueger and Manning get down and dirty, as they continue to work on cleanup.

“There's a lot of work to be done. It's a logistical nightmare due to the overwhelming mass of the stuff,” Manning said.

If your patience is wearing thin and you want to head out to this site on Pine Island Road, you can do so daily until 7 o'clock.

Once the debris is collected, it will be chopped and distributed, according to officials.